"Of course... empty words without evidence."

"What exactly...?"

"You'll know once we test."

Turing swiftly moved towards the shadow without any hesitation, reaching out to explore it.

The shadow, sensing imminent danger, vanished instantly from its original position.

"Just as I thought!"

"Merka, the mechanical deity has been lost!"

Turing turned around and took hold of Merka's hand. Suddenly, Merka's petite figure erupted with formidable strength, shattering the reef with a single kick, soaring into the sky.

Dark, paint-like flesh wings burst out from Turing's back like a fountain, propelling her and Merka thousands of miles away at extreme speed towards the top of the black tower.

Merka tightly held by Turing's slender arms, looked back.

The tentacles, floating on the sea surface like seaweed, suddenly stirred up, whipping up violent winds, tearing the ocean apart, heading straight towards Turing.

"What’s happening here?!"

The tacit understanding developed over the years with Turing allowed Merka's body to react before his brain did. Swiftly, he threw the dagger embedded with the mechanical deity away.

At that moment, the connection between the shadow and Merka was completely severed.

This also meant that the shadow could no longer read Merka's memories to know his actions and plans.

"I was about to touch it and use aside to read its memories."

"I just wanted to scare it... because its memories must be extensive, and I probably wouldn't find anything useful in a short time."

"But it's obviously guilty, so it showed fear first."

As Turing explained to Merka, she continued to guide him through the raging sea waves and the onslaught of tentacles, heading directly towards the black tower.

The speed of the tentacles was astonishing.

Its colossal body, resembling the legendary sea monster Kraken, unfurled in the sky like an enormous shadow with no loss of momentum due to the water’s resistance, whipping its thick, star-studded tentacles through the sea in a violent manner.

But Turing was faster than them.

She pulled Merka into her embrace, shielding him beneath her soft chest.

Turing's tentacles surged, forming curved blades in front of her.

Her figure fragmented, soaring through the air at high speed, like a sharp blade through the heart, as if shattering the fabric of space itself. In the visible space, a long and massive red scar appeared, cutting through the tentacles and waves in front of her.

"Let’s fly straight to the top of the tower and find the backdrop in one go!"

"Alright...!"

The black tower at the end of the beach gradually came into view. Turing held Merka tightly, leaned close to his ear, and shouted loud enough to be heard over the deafening winds around them.

As the howling winds reverberated like a flood in a strait, Merka saw the tower’s peak getting closer and responded loudly to Turing.

Furrowing his brows, Merka kept his magical vision fixated on the tower's distortions, his muscles tensed, both palms facing the ground, preparing for a forced landing.

"Mu..."

With a deafening roar, a violent shockwave surged towards Merka.

Although he had protected his body with magic, the dust and smoke still dirtied him, sending him rolling multiple times to dissipate the impact of the violent landing.

The chaotic and noisy environment briefly disoriented Merka, and in his memory, he seemed to have heard Turing's shout in the final second, but upon careful reflection, he wasn't entirely certain it was her voice.

"Cough, am I inside the black tower now...?"

"Those large tentacles... shouldn't have followed us, right."

"Cough, cough."

The intense smoke choked Merka, making him cough uncontrollably. After several coughs, he finally managed to stand up in a disheveled state.

Clearing the haze before him, Merka summoned his magical sight, but Turing's presence was nowhere to be seen.

He started to feel anxious.

"Turing! Turing!"

"Xixi! Don't scare me like that!"

Where... is this?

In panic, Merka carefully observed his surroundings.

To his surprise, the desolate beach had transformed from its previously dilapidated state to a bustling and lively scene.

Children in swimsuits frolicked on the beach;

Several seaside stalls were set up on golden sand dunes, attracting onlookers;

Various researchers dressed in white coats sat on plastic chairs beside the stalls, enjoying the sea breeze and sun.

The transparent sea reflected the azure sky, gently washing the golden sand of the shore, creating a delightful atmosphere.

Yet, to Merka, it seemed unsettling.

He glanced towards the black tower... It remained the same as before, but somehow, unknowingly, Merka had moved from the tower's top to its bottom.

"My dear, who are you calling?"

"Oh~ What's the matter with you? Are you thinking about other girls?"

"With a super invincible beauty like me as your girlfriend, aren't I enough for you?"

A woman with faint snake scale patterns on her cheeks suddenly appeared behind Merka.

Dressed in a futuristic tight suit that didn't match the beach setting, she had serpent-like eyes emitting a strange, eerie light.

Merka took a deep breath, raising his guard to the highest level.